First Reading

Reading from the second Book of Kings

2 Kings 11, 1-4. 9-18. 20

At that time, Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah, seeing that her son was dead, decided to exterminate the entire royal family. But Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took her nephew Joash and secretly removed him from among the king’s sons when they were being murdered, to hide him from Athaliah. She hid the child and his nurse, and so the child escaped death. For six years he remained hidden with her in the temple of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

In the seventh year, the priest Jehoiada summoned the army officers and their soldiers, brought them into the temple of the Lord, showed them the king’s son, and made a covenant with them under oath to protect the king’s son.

The officers carried out the covenant they had made with the priest Jehoiada. Each one took his position with his men, who were coming on guard duty on the Sabbath or finishing their guard duty on the Sabbath, and they presented themselves before the priest Jehoiada. He gave them the spears and shields of King David that were in the temple of the Lord. When the guards, with weapons in hand, took their positions from the south side to the north side of the temple, surrounding the altar, Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, placed the crown and royal insignia on him, and anointed him. Then everyone clapped and shouted: “Long live the king!”

When Athaliah heard the uproar of the people, she went to the temple of the Lord, where the crowd had gathered. There she saw the king standing on the platform, as was the custom, with the army officers and the heralds around the king, and all the people rejoicing greatly while the trumpets sounded. Then Athaliah tore her garments and cried out: “Treason! Treason!”

The priest Jehoiada gave this order to the officers: “Take her out of the temple and kill anyone who follows her.” The priest had told them: “She must not be killed in the temple of the Lord.” So the guards led her to the royal palace and put her to death at the Horse Gate.

Then the priest Jehoiada renewed the covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, by which they would be the people of the Lord.

All the people entered the temple of Baal and destroyed it; they completely demolished the altar and its statues, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altar.

The priest Jehoiada placed guards at the temple of the Lord. All the people were filled with joy, and the city remained peaceful. Athaliah had been put to death in the royal palace.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 6, 19-23

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. And if the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”